Building an Industry Focused Network

How do you build develop relationships? What is appropriate and customary follow up?  This is not nearly as difficult as most people think, you just need a variety of tools and options.

Start with identifying target companies, then look for individuals that you have something in common with, such as similar roles, education, personal interests, or membership in an industry association.

There are many ways to begin and build a relationship including, but not limited to:

1. Personal, face to face introductions/meetings
2. Phone
3. Email
4. Social Media (LinkedIn/Facebook)

Every contact must be specific and focused. Take a few minutes to understand a bit about the person and their background, then start with a simple message, “we are in the same industry and I would like to introduce myself and see if there is anything I can do to help you.”  Sharing industry news, articles and contacts will usually be very well received.

There is a fine line between appropriate networking and being an annoying stalker. Tenured Headhunter, Tom Johnston, shares his internal system for contacting people.

(A) – This is for people that are high potential contacts that hold a very high place in our world.  These are key decision makers. Make a point to touch base using a variety of methods at least once a month.

(B) – These are good contacts, but not quite as good as the A’s. Following up once a quarter is fine.

(C) – These contacts might have long term value, but they are not considered a prime contact, so reaching out and touching base once or twice a year is fine.

(D) – These are the people that you have no interest in building and maintaining a relationship. They are either not in your industry or they are someone you do not want to build a relationship with. Simply delete them.

One of the most common mistakes people make is to go out and actively build a relationship, then land the new role and forget everyone until you want something again. People hate that!

Never leave a message to “Please Call Me”. When you leave a message for someone to call you, you are giving them control. They might call you back, but if they do not, we start doubting ourselves, question our relationship and making that next call is very difficult. When reaching out, simply explain why your calling, offer your contact number if they have a chance to call you back, then tell them exactly when you will call them back and then make that call.  Repeat until you get them on the phone. Never give up control of the process.

As you begin the process of building your network, the keys are to help until you need help, and follow up consistently. When you are actually looking for a new role, don’t call someone and ask them for a job, reach out and ask about their experience with the company, seek their advice and guidance.  

The Creation of the "Why Me" Document

Did you ever wonder when and how the first resume was created?  Legend tells that Leonardo DaVinci created the first professional resume in 1482.  History shows Leonardo moved to Milan in the hope of obtaining the patronage of the ruler of the city, Ludovico Sforza. Leonardo offered his services as a military engineer, sculptor and painter. Ludovico accepted gladly, financing an independent workshop for the artist. Leonardo would stay in Ludovico's service for 18 years.

Now, new technology allows for editing on a minute to minute basis and YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn bring us "full disclosure" and instant access to the candidate. Now all we need to do is Google someone, to find that in fact they are all over social media sites. Some resumes are even now showing up with a video link for either a YouTube posted Video Resume, or some other professional created document residing on the "Web".

So, what is a candidate to do with all this new technology and the evolution of "how to get hired"?  Retain the basis of a resume - A resume needs to represent a living, breathing document that presents human capital in a format to show in resolute clarity the ROTH - Return on the Hire. As a representative of human capital this document needs to reflect accordingly.  Do resumes, in your reading or creation of them ever scream that to you?  Or, does it seem as if the document that you are reviewing could probably be used for any number of generic companies for the generic jobs posted?  If, this is what you are sending out there, or posting to job boards, chances are pretty good that you are not getting much contact or feedback on yourself as a potential candidate.

A "Why Me" document represents the eventual evolution of the antiquated resume.  As such, "why" you may be good for one position, company or even hiring authority; will most certainly not be the "why" that gets you noticed by another. Each time your resume or the evolutionary document "Why Me" goes out the door, it is a representation of you and what you bring to the table as a ROTH.  Think of that as an opportunity for you to shine. What may "shine" for one, will not "shine" for all.

When reviewing the job description, pick out key components that will be required to succeed in the position.  Highlight on those components of your professional and/or personal experience that would provide a feature, advantage and benefit (your ROTH).  Do some research on the company (I know the internet can be a daunting beast some times, but even a little bit of research will give you some return on your investment of time).  Find out some of their details, what has brought success to the company over the last five years?  Do you have applicable skills that will translate to their continued success, or in the alternative catapult them into success (again going back to your ROTH)?

Do you still need to put in the details of your professional career?  Do you think that Leonardo's resume just simply read "I think you should hire me for military engineer, sculptor and painter"?  Based upon his tenure with Ludovico Sforza, I am sure there were some details involved about his professional credentials.  Yes, you still need details - your vitals/best contact information; employment history (specifically, who, what and when); education and possibly other pertinent details, such as organizational memberships, etc.  All the stuff in between represents the selling of human capital and the "Why Me" factor.

10th Annual Fall Global Conference

We celebrated our 10^th Annual Fall Global Conference during the first week of October with guests from around the world! During the three-day event, we heard from many franchise owners about their experiences and shared exciting changes within our company to showcase that we are “Not Your Father’s Search Firm.”

This year, we selected speakers who are currently helping us build and position ourselves for the future, giving full exposure to what has become known as our “Life Path” approach to servicing our markets and communities. Some of our newest franchisees spoke about how they are working together, building from each other’s strengths to maximize results and get further faster. We also heard from our top producers who shared their unique perspectives on how they stay on top of their game.

We were excited to announce new partnerships and developments within the company as well including joint ventures with Alcor and Franchise Dynamics to ultimately help build our network and expand our global presence. Our franchise owners were introduced to MyHuntPath and how they can utilize the tool to grow and change the way they share their knowledge to individuals trying to define their career path.

During the conference, we were fortunate to have Todd Govig, President of Goving Associates, share the lessons he learned about being part of a family vision that has grown into a 15-million-dollar enterprise and how you can radically change your life through what he calls, “Journey Planning”. Olympic Silver Medalist, Matt Ghaffari, also spoke to the importance of dedication determination, desire and discipline in achieving your destiny.

Some key aspects that differentiate us are the services and programs we bring that no one else has. The purpose of our Annual Fall Global Conference is to help our franchisees continue to evolve their business to truly capitalize on their definition of success. Nothing discussed by our presenters has gone untried, but when tied all together, our hope is that our franchise owners realize that we have never been “Our Father’s Search Firm”. 

Job HUNTers

Also learn about us at myhuntpath.com

Centuries ago, hunting was the mode of survival. Whether it was foraging for plants or scouring for meat, hunters risked their lives for the common good. The tribe succeeded or failed by way of the hunter and without them, all would starve.

While the world has advanced, today’s leaders are still hunting. Modern hunters can be found in the workforce, utilizing those same skills their ancient ancestors lived by daily. These new hunters are the people always willing to pick up the phone, determined to make the sale and to close the deal. They are in demand as they take risks and get things done.

Headhunters are modern day hunters as they go out and not only find, but capture, other revenue producers. Headhunters have to be willing to take risks and while they may fear failure, they conquer that fear. Executives and CEOs meet challenges on a regular basis. They show resilience in the face of stress. That’s why they’re valuable. Headhunters apply an assertive approach to everyday life as well. Like their prehistoric counterparts, headhunters give back aggressively, share resources, offer opportunities to others, help their communities and support those around them through advice and example. They are fully engaged in life. Hunters are people in action.

All job seekers can learn from headhunters and in the same turn, take inspiration from our predecessors. Similar to searching for sustenance, job hunting is not a waiting game; it is a process. Job seekers must go out and generate opportunity, whether or not it is visible or available. Hunters preyed upon animals, rather than waiting for animals to show up.
Don’t wait for a job to find you, go out and look for one. If what you want isn’t advertised, then figure out a way to find the people who can make it happen. Call the CEOs, the Vice Presidents, and the head of human resources. Find a way to create an opportunity for yourself.

A job hunt is like any other hunt worth pursuing. It is a challenge, a pursuit. Nothing comes from stasis. True opportunity doesn’t come without effort. If it’s valuable, it takes work. Find a way to enjoy the process and revel in the risk. View a job hunt as an opportunity to do something to conquer your fears and overcome obstacles. Go beyond your usual effort and fully invest in yourself.

Remember, if you don’t do something, you’ll starve.

Our Story

Also learn about us at
myhuntpath.com

People ask me all the time why I started working in career management and built MyHuntPath. Traditionally, recruiters (Headhunters) do not spend much time with people that they cannot get a fee for. When I first started working in recruiting, my company even had a specific category named for these candidates, they were in the “Can’t Help” category. Throughout my 20-year search career I have never felt comfortable with this concept and returned calls, e-mails, and took many meetings to offer help to anyone in transition.

Sitting in my parish, Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, one Sunday in 2008, I heard a sermon that changed the course of my business. The minister talked about the idea of fulfilling your mission. She explained that each person should follow a personal mission, guided by personal interests and abilities. You did not have to feel like the only way to volunteer was through the church, you could find your own way to help people. This sermon inspired me to volunteer one hour a week to counsel the unemployed in my congregation and local community. Little did I know what I was in for.

Right in the heart of the recession, I only expected to see unemployed people at that first meeting. I was sad to see some truly disheartened individuals, some of whom had been out of work for nearly two years. What I was shocked to discover though, was the large amount of people in the room that DID have a job. These people didn’t like their jobs, wanted to move up in their careers, or were afraid they were going to lose their jobs. I later learned that close to 70% of all workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. 

Everyone at that first meeting had an interesting story to tell. A lot of the people were students of some kind. While the level of schooling varied between high school, college, and graduate school (one even had a JD) all were lost and had no real idea what to do to find a job, especially in a terrible market. The rest of the group was a mixed bag. A few were over 60 looking to find some nontraditional work (like getting to leave work at 2 pm and have 12 weeks of vacation in the winter to head to Florida). I met some veterans just out of the service, ex-cons, moms that had been out of the workforce for 20 years, and a few wannabe entrepreneurs.

As I stood in front of the room trying to figure out how to help everyone, it hit me. I had to teach them all to become headhunters.  I realized I only needed to teach everyone in the room to make one job placement, their own. So I switched my focus and began as if I was standing in a room full of new recruiters. That first session took only about 90 minutes but we all walked away feeling positive, excited and energized.

The following week, we had many people return and gained some new faces. Four new people commented they came because they had heard we were doing something different. I started writing down my techniques and presentations so new people could catch up and we started rolling. Everyone who followed the program started finding new opportunities and a better career path. We were teaching self-directed career management and it was working! Over time, this became the best part of my week. I really felt like I was making a difference. I was able to do just what my minister had suggested. I was helping people through the methods and techniques I had learned and perfected over twenty years in the search business.

We eventually moved to a local business incubator and expanded the program to support up to 40 different religious congregations around the Cleveland area. I later received a request from LDS Business College in Salt Lake City to do a presentation. Up until this point the many hours spent helping people were done for free; I enjoyed doing it and felt it was the right thing to do. After I completed the program in Utah, the President of LDS was so impressed with the program that he wanted me to come back and teach our proactive career management approach to all his students. I agreed, but decided to ask for a bit of compensation, which he agreed. It made me realize that turning my techniques into a business would help it reach the wide-scale audience it was suited for and thus, MyHuntPath was born. We decided our pricing would be $4.99 a month and I always joke that for the cost of a cup of coffee, you can take control of your career in one place (granted, I do drink a grande caramel macchiato).

While we worked on developing the content and building the platform, I continued offering programs all over the country. I did hundreds of one-on-one meeting, small group sessions, webinars, and seminars. My clients included the University of Virginia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve University, Breakthrough Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, EDWINS Leaderships & Restaurant Institute, and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, just to name a few.

It has been quite a journey. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I stepped in that church meeting room back in 2008, but each time I help someone, whether its a confused high school student or a 60-year-old former CEO, find their passion and create a path to achieve that goal, I know we are doing something right. Our approach is unique. In my opinion, the best people to go to for career management advice are the ones who do it for a living, the headhunters who bring companies and candidates together each and every day.

I finally found a way to help all the people that come across my desk. I am happy that the “Can’t Help” category no longer exists in my office. Some candidates may not be right for a search, but they are right for MyHuntPath, as our platform helps all job seekers no matter their age or field. I found the way to use my talents and fulfill my mission. And now, you can use MyHuntPath to fulfill yours (or fulfill your Buffalo as we like to call it, but you’ll find out more about that when you sign up).

Tom